Come and Discover
by jcaliff
Summary: This is a Legend of the Galactic Heroes/Teddy Ruxpin crossover that I started writing several years ago.
1. Chapter 1

"Captain?"  
  
Captain Wootenhoffer looked around at the faces of his crew. They were almost all young men, still just kids. It didn't take a master strategist to know that the battle was going poorly. When the command came to press the attack, Wootenhoffer knew it was suicide. He stood, an internal debate raging, while his crew looked on.  
  
"Sir!" cried one of the bridge crew, a young man named Stein. "We've just picked up a transmission. Part of the fleet has broken away. They're moving out of the Iserlohn Circuit!"  
  
"What?!" Wootenhoffer was aghast. It was a huge risk they had just taken. And not only mutiny -- leaving the Iserlohn corridor meant leaving the only navigable route in this area between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance. Wootenhoffer had never been a man to take risks. But for the first time in his career, he felt that he had to make a choice between a chance for life and certain death. And in his opinion, today was not a good day to die.  
  
"Mr. Stein, prepare to follow that fleet. We're getting out of here."  
  
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Come and Discover  
  
A Legend of the Galactic Heroes/Teddy Ruxpin crossover (not a parody!)  
  
Legend of the Galactic Heroes is written by Yoshiki Tanaka, Teddy Ruxpin was copyright Alchemy II and created by Ken Forsse. I'm sure they'd be just thrilled to read this story. ^_-  
  
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"Hurry up, Gimmick!" Grubby the Octopede called from below, "I can't hold this thing up all day, ya know." On the roof of his house, Newton Gimmick tightened the bolts holding his latest invention, a large metal dish-like object.  
  
"Okay, err, uhh, Grubby, just one more adjustment and . . . THERE! I, err, did it!" Gimmick stood up on the roof and stepped back, admiring his handiwork.  
  
"Thank goodness," Grubby said, and released the large metal plate that he'd been holding above his head. No sooner did he let go, than a loud *CRACK* made him look up.   
  
"Uh, Gimmick," Grubby said, backing away from the hanging dish while watching it nervously.   
  
"Well, that didn't sound quite, err, right," Gimmick said doubtfully, "but according to my, uh, calculations, the bolts should be strong enough to support a, err, dish twice as large as this one."  
  
"Yeah, well, are you sure the roof is strong enough?"   
  
"Oh, uh, well, that is, I didn't think about, uh, that." Just at that moment, Teddy Ruxpin, an Iliop, walked out of the house holding a plate.  
  
"Would anyone like some freshly baked cookies?" Teddy asked. Without further warning, the dish right above Teddy's head broke free, bringing with it a large section of the roof.  
  
"TEDDY, LOOK OUT!!" Grubby yelled.   
  
"WHOA!" Teddy yelled, dropping the cookies as he dove out of the way. The dish crashed to the ground, creating a small crater where it fell.  
  
"Heavens to Grundo! Are you ,uh, all right, Teddy?"   
  
"I think so," Teddy said unsteadily as Grubby helped him up. "What happened?"  
  
"One of Gimmick's inventions," Grubby replied.  
  
"Oh, I see," said Teddy, knowingly. Gimmick climbed down a ladder from the remains of his roof to join his friends on the ground.  
  
"Oh, err, dear," Gimmick remarked, "I certainly didn't foresee this." He examined the ruined roof with a critical eye, "I hope it doesn't, uh, rain tonight." As if to mock his words, a clap of thunder sounded in the distance.  
  
"That's just great," said Grubby sarcastically, "now we're all gonna get wet."  
  
"Now Grubby, it was an honest mistake," Teddy soothed. He could see that Gimmick was upset enough, and he didn't want Grubby to make things any worse than they already were. "Let's get something to cover the hole in the roof, and then clean up this mess before the rain gets here." Grubby grumbled, but went inside to find a tarp. Gimmick, meanwhile, was bent over examining the dish embedded in the ground.   
  
"So what kind of invention were you creating this time?" asked Teddy, walking over to Gimmick's side.  
  
"Oh, this?" Gimmick gestured to the dish, "It was going to be a, uh, uh, solar energy collector. You see, this dish is designed to uh, reflect the suns light like a, err, mirror. But this mirror is bent so that all the light will be reflected at an angle, concentrating the light at a single point."  
  
"That sounds facinating," Teddy remarked, "but what do you do with the light after you've collected it?"  
  
"Yeah," Grubby added, coming back outside, "it's not like you can put it in a basket and take it with you . . .uhh, can you?"  
  
"Well, err, light creates heat, and I was going to use mirrors to reflect the light into the house where it could be used to, err, uh, heat the stove or keep the house warm when it gets cold outside," Gimmick explained, "That way we wouldn't have to use as much wood."  
  
"That's a wonderful idea, Gimmick!" Teddy exclaimed.  
  
"But what do you do when it's dark out, like at night or when it's raining outside?" Grubby asked. Again thunder crashed in the distance, as the sky started to darken with the approaching storm.   
  
"I think we'd better hurry," Teddy said, and the three friends quickly pulled the tarp over the roof and collected as much of the garbage off the ground as they could.   
  
"I don't think we can, err, get the solar collector out of the gound in time," Gimmick yelled as the wind picked up.  
  
"Leave it!" Teddy yelled in return, "We'll get it later. It's too heavy to blow away." The three companions closed the door behind them, but the sounds of the approaching storm could still be heard through the damaged roof.  
  
"It's going to be a long night," Teddy said to himself as the storm hit.   
  
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Captain Wootenhoffer was trying very hard to ignore the sounds coming from his stomach. It had been almost 2 weeks since they had escaped from the battle near Iserlohn, and over a week since they'd somehow lost sight of the other ships they had been following. Their small ship wasn't designed to carry many supplies, relying on what was usually provided by the fleet. Water could be recycled, but food was in short supply.   
  
Since they'd left the safe navigational corridor near Iserlohn, his chief navigation officer, Schmidt, had had to rely on the positions of the stars for guidance. Schmidt was a 30 year old veteran with 15 years' experience. While some called it "flying blind", he seemed to relish this opportunity to "sail by the stars", having often been heard to say that the human race had become too reliant on modern technology. Schmidt had assured the captain that they were headed toward Phezzan, but Wootenhoffer couldn't help having some doubts.   
  
Nonetheless, they needed to find an inhabited planet. Wootenhoffer's goal was to go to Phezzan, a neutral safe-haven, and then any members of his crew who wished could return to the Empire. He knew that he himself could never return to his home. There are some things that simply aren't done, and directly disobeying an order and running from battle was one of them. He'd be *lucky* to be court-martialed. However, based on Schmidt's information, the closest inhabited planet was within the Empire. Wootenhoffer could hear the mutterings of discontent among his crew, and he knew that he didn't have much choice.   
  
"Mr. Stein," Wootenhoffer began, "set a new course. Mr. Schmidt, provide the coordinates to the nearest planet."  
  
"Captain," Schmidt ventured, "there is another star between here and Phezzan. It's not supposed to have any satellites, but according to my calculations there is a significant variation in its gravitational field that can not be accounted for by any other conventional means."  
  
"If there's a star out there, then why doesn't the Empire use it as a navigational beacon, like Phezzan or Iserlohn?" Wootenhoffer asked, perplexed.  
  
"I don't know, sir," Schmidt continued, "but if there is a planetary system orbiting that star, then it would behoove us to investigate. If not, then we'll only be an extra day or two at most out of our way. We could then continue back to the Empire. It will take us approximately 4 days from our present position to reach the Empire."   
  
"Mr. Braun, what is the status of our supplies?" asked the captain.  
  
"Even at maximum velocity we have enough feul to travel for the next 3 weeks. If we restrict rations, we should have enough food for approximately 8 days," answered the young crewman. Wootenhoffer wieghed his options. It would be a close call. Even if there were a planetary system around the mysterious star, that didn't necessarily mean there would be food, or even a planet capable of sustaining life. But if Schmidt was right, they should at least investigate.   
  
"I'll give us 36 hours to reach that star. If we can't get there, then we turn around and head for the Empire. Mr. Schmidt, provide the coordinates; Mr. Stein, set a course. Second star on the right, straight ahead 'til morning."   
  
"Sir?" Stein asked confusedly, while Schmidt chuckled.  
  
"Never mind, Mr. Stein. Just plot the course." Wootenhoffer sighed; he suddenly felt very old.   
  
"It's going to be a long night," he said to himself.  
  
  
End chapter 1 


	2. Chapter 2

Come and Discover - Chapter 2  
  
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Captain Wootenhoffer stood and stared at the view screen. Before him was a mid-sized star, not uncommon in-and-of itself. However, surrounding that star was a well-developed solar system that by all official records shouldn't have existed. Six planets orbited the star, each with at least one moon and two with rings. But perhaps most amazing of all was the computer's confirmation of that which they most hoped for, but least expected.  
  
"Are you sure, Mr. Stein?" the captain asked.  
  
"Sir, according to the ship's computer, the second planet in this system is not only capable of sustaining life, but has a large number of life forms currently residing on the planet's surface."   
  
"Humans?"  
  
"Unknown. There do appear to be several organized communities on the largest continent. That *is* odd."  
  
"What is, Mr. Stein?"  
  
"Sir, our sensors are picking up what appears to be a large wall."  
  
"A wall, Mr. Stein?"  
  
"Yes sir. A wall that runs all the way from one end of the large continent to the other."  
  
"Hmm. Like the Great Wall of China."  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"Old Earth History, Mr. Stein. Don't they teach that at the Academy any more?"  
  
"Sir, as I recall it was an elective."  
  
"Never mind, Mr. Stein. Mr. Schmidt!" As the captain turned to his navigation officer, he didn't notice the look of disgust Braun flashed at Stein, and the uncomfortable way Stein shifted in his seat.   
  
"Mr Schmidt, have you determined a good location for us to land and retrieve supplies?" Schmidt had been eagerly anticipating this moment. With a flourish, he caused an enlarged image of the alien planet to appear on the main view screen. It was all he could do to not jump up and down like an excited child.   
  
"Sir, I've narrowed our possibilities to three locations. The first," he said, zooming in on a location in the northwest, "appears to be farmland near a large stone structure that resembles, for lack of a better term, a castle. The second," he said, changing the view, "is an area near a large lake in the north-central area of the main continent. And the third is a valley in the southeast near a large forest. All three areas would probably be good places to touch down, and all three offer intriguing areas to explore."  
  
"This is not an exploration vessel, Mr. Schmidt," the captain reminded him.  
  
"This isn't exactly a military vessel right now, either," Braun muttered under his breath. Only Stein could hear, but even if he had known what to say, he knew it was best not to respond.   
  
"So which one do you think would be best, Mr. Schmidt?" asked the captain humorlessly. Wootenhoffer was quickly growing weary of Schmidt's ebullience. Besides which, his hunger had given him a short attention span -- he didn't want to play these kinds of games.  
  
"Sir, there appears to be a relatively severe atmospheric disturbance over most of the continent. I've tracked the movement of the storm for the past few minutes. It's travelling from east to west at 30 kilometers per hour. The storm center appears to have already passed over most of the eastern continent. And, although it's currently night, the sun should be rising on the eastern continent within the next 4 hours. Therefore, I would suggest landing in the valley." Schmidt instantly changed the screen to reveal a flight plan for their decent to the planet below.  
  
"Very good, Mr. Schmidt. Mr. Braun, prepare the landing procedures. Mr. Stein, alert the crew to standby." The captain sat down in his chair. Suddenly a thought occurred to him.  
  
"Mr. Schmidt," the captain asked, "are there any settlements in that valley?"  
  
"Sir, our sensors detect a single structure in the center of the valley, and another possible structure at the edge of the valley."  
  
"Very good. Let's try to aviod landing on top of either one."  
  
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Teddy couldn't sleep. Although the storm had died down, the sound of the constant dripping of water through the roof was driving him insane. It was just too much, on top of listening to Grubby snore and Gimmick talk in his sleep. Teddy finally stood up and got dressed. It was only a couple of hours before dawn, and since he couldn't sleep he figured he might as well do something constructive.   
  
Being careful not to wake his sleeping friends, Teddy decided to go outside to survey the damage from the night before. He stepped out the front door, only to feel his entire foot submerged in cold water. Teddy was startled, but he managed not to make any noise that might upset the others. He went back in the house and found the pocket torch, another of Gimmick's inventions, albeit a more sucessful one than most. Newton Gimmick was a brilliant inventor, although his inventions had a tendency to work in ways Gimmick himself never anticipated. However, it was not exaggerating to say that without Gimmick's inventions, Teddy and Grubby's life of adventure would never have gotton off the ground. . .so to speak.   
  
Teddy smiled. Gimmick's most important invention was the airship. The airship had taken Teddy, Grubby, and Gimmick from this little corner of Grundo to far away lands where they had made amazing discoveries and met many unusual friends. Teddy and Grubby could never have dreamed where their adventures would eventually take them when they'd first set out from their home on the small island of Rilonia, just south of Grundo.   
  
Teddy was an Iliop, for most of his life he'd lived in a small Iliop villiage. Until he met Grubby, he'd never met another person that wasn't an Iliop. The first time he saw Grubby, Teddy had thought he was some kind of giant insect; Teddy still wasn't sure if Grubby's eight limbs were supposed to be arms or legs. Gimmick wasn't quite as strange looking as the bright yellow Octopede, but it had taken Teddy a little while to get used to the bespeckled elderly man with almost no hair.  
  
Getting his thoughts back in order, Teddy aimed the torch at the doorway to see how deep the water outside was. In his mind, he imagined a horrible scene; Gimmick's house floating in a huge lake that had once been the valley. He nearly laughed out loud when he saw what he had stepped in. The dish! It was right in front of the doorway, still embedded in the ground, and completely filled with water.   
  
Feeling much better, Teddy stepped over the dish and outside into the chill early-morning air. The hundreds of cannon balls on the ground surrounding the house glinted in the night, but he could see the beginnings of a beautiful dawn on the horizon. He turned around to look at the house, curious if the damage from last night had been made any worse by the storm. What he saw took his breath away. High in the sky above the house, a huge, dark object shaped like a giant cannon was falling from the sky.  
  
"Grubby! Gimmick!" he called into the house, "Wake up! You have to see this!!"  
  
End Chapter 2 


End file.
